Metal bending machine



Oct. 23, 1962 E. J. Mc ow 3,059,684

METAL BENDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L I I United States Patent 3,059,684 METAL BENDING MACHINE Edwin J. McDowel, Richmond, Calif., assignor of one-half to Ada G. Hively, San Pablo, Calif. Filed Feb. 25, 196i), Scr. No. 11,375 3 Claims. (Cl. 153-46) This invention generally relates to apparatus for hot and cold working metal bars, rods and the like, and is more particularly directed towards a simplified, manually operable bending machine capable of producing variable bends and shapes in such bars or rods with a minimum of difliculty.

In many instances it is necessary or desirable to bend longitudinally extending metal stock, the term stock being used to designate rods, bars and other crosssectional forms ranging up to approximately 1 /2" in thickness. Such working or bending may simply comprise a single bend of a particular angle up to and including a complete circle, such as in the making of eye bolts and the like.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide apparatus adapted to support a length of metal stock in which means are provided for bending the stock with a single stroke, yet in which the bend may vary from a small angular offset to a complete loop or circlev Another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character described which will cold bend the stock without damaging or altering the cross-sectional shape thereof, thereby permitting its use on threaded rods such as where an eye bolt is provided with a threaded shank.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above type in which the radius of curvature of the bend may be selectively varied, and which is capable of operating on a wide range of stock sizes with only minor adjustments being necessary.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a machine as above described which is compact in size and which may be operated by persons having little training or experience in metal working equipment.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 55 of FIGURE 1.

As herein above mentioned, the apparatus of the present invention is adapted to receive and support a length of metal stock, such as the circular metal rod indicated by the numeral 12 in the drawings, and bend the same from its initial straight length (shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1) to another shape such as the eye-bolt indicated by dot-dash lines in FIGURE 1 and including a shank 13 and a substantially complete circle or eye 14 at an end of and extending uniformly from the shank.

In broad terms, the above apparatus includes a platform 16 on which the rod 12 is supported, a central 3,059,684 Patented Oct. 23, 1962 mandrel 17 of varying size around which the rod is bent, a clamping member 18 which releasably looks a portion of the rod against the mandrel, and a bending arm 19 for urging the unclamped rod portions around and against the mandrel.

Platform 16 is preferably in the form of a horizontally disposed circular table which may be supported in fixed and stationary relation relative to a floor by any suitable supports, such as a central post 21, bracing 22, and a base 23, the latter being adapted for anchoring to the floor (not shown). A pin 24 extends upwardly from the post 21 centrally of and through the platform and constitutes a support for the bores of the mandr'els 17. As will be later made clear, while the bores of the various mandrels are of the same siZe so as to fit on the pin 24, the outer diameters of the mandrels are of different sizes, since these diameters determine the size and shape of the ultimate bend in the stock 12.

It will be appreciated that before the metal can be wrapped around the mandrel, one end of the stock 12 must be clamped or locked tightly against the same, and the member 18 is utilized for this purpose. As best illustrated in FIGURES l and 3, member 18 is supported on the upper surface of platform 16 and extends radially outward from the central pin 24-. The member actually comprises a pair of telescopically engageable elements 27 and 23, selectively axially movable whereby the innermost end of element 28 may be radially moved selectively from and toward the mandrel 17 so as to clamp the rod 12 between such end and the mandrel. To assist in this latter feature, said end is provided with a cylindrical roller 29 journalled on a pin 31 extending at right angles to the platform in parallel spaced relation to pin 24. The other end of element 28 is provided with a threaded follower block 32 for receiving an axial threaded shaft 33. Shaft 33 is journalled for rotation in the element 27 and is provided with a manually engageable crank handle 34 which operates to advance and retract the black 32, element 28, and the rod clamp roller 29. Element 27 is secured to the platform such as by bolts 36 extending through apertures 37 in the platform, and there are preferably more than one set of such apertures whereby the entire member 18 may be moved closer to or further from the pin 24, depending on the size of the mandrel positioned thereon.

In addition to the radial adjustability of the member 18, due to both the positioning of bolts 36 and the rotation of shaft 33, member 18 is also capable of adjustment in a direction generally normal to such radius. As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, the platform is provided with a radial extension 38 having u'p standing flanges 39 on opposite sides of the element 27 with a plurality of machine screws 41 or the like extending through the flanges to engage the opposite side walls of element 27 in selected positions of adjustment between the flanges.

There is additionally provided on the member 18 a plate 43 having a radial slot 4-4 through which bolts 46 extend so as to lock the plate in selected radial positions relative to element 28. The plate has a downturned flange 4-7 which forms another radius of the platform and a notched inner end flange 48 against which the end of rod 12 may abut preparatory to clamping.

With the rod placed against the flange 48, the crank 34 is actuated until roller 29 is urged towards mandrel 17 to firmly clamp the rod therebetween. At this time, the bending arm 19 is brought into play. Arm 19 is best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 4 of the drawings, and in some respects is similar to member 18 in that two telescopically engageable elements 51 and 52 are provided, the latter having a threaded follower block at its outer end for receiving a threaded shaft 53 journalled in the elements 51. The shaft is provided with a crank 54 operable through bevel gears 56 so as not to interfere with a manually engageable arm extension 57 presently to be described. The innermost end of element 52 is provided with an angular rod engaging piece 58 provided with a rectangular vertical pin 59 which engages a plate 61. Extension 57 includes an element 62 extending beneath the platform and mounted on a collar 63 for rotation about post 21, such element being bolted or otherwise secured to element 51 whereby the member 19 may be moved from its solid line position shown in FIGURE 1 in a clockwise direction around platform 16 to the dot-dash line position.

Plate 61 has a leading edge flange 64 and an inner end flange 66 with the flanges being arcuately joined so that upon completion of a loop, for example, the shank will smoothly merge into the eye portion 14.

It is believed that after the rod 12 is clamped between roller 29 and mandrel 17, the operator will actuate handle 54 until the rod 12 is likewise engaged by the end 58 of element 52 and the flanged plate 61 carried thereby. The operator will then engage the arm extension 57 and walk around the platform in the direction of the arrows until the desired amount of bend is obtained, the members engagement with the rod urging and deforming the same against the mandrel. Where a complete eye or loop is desired, the rotation of the arm is continued until the leading edge flange 64 is positioned along one side of the rod, and the trailing edge flange 47 of plate 43 is on the other side of the rod as shown in dash and dot lines in FIGURE 1 of the drawing.

In this manner a perfect eye is formed without injury to the eye or shank, and obviously the latter can be of any desired length. To form a U-shaped bar or rod the movable arm will be moved only until the deformed portion parallels the clamped rod portion, and other forms and shapes may be made with equal ease and simplicity.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a generally horizontal platform, a mandrel extending upwardly from said platform, a clamping member extending radially from said mandrel mounted on the upper surface of said platform and including a stock engaging inner end portion, means selectively varying the spacing between said portion and said mandrel for releasably clamping stock therebetween, a linear flange secured to said clamping member and adapted to intercept and engage stock as it is wrapped around said mandrel, said flange being disposed substantially along a radius through the center of said mandrel, a bending arm extending radially from said mandrel and mounted for rotation about the axis of said mandrel and having a stock engaging inner end portion, and means selectively moving said latter portion from and towards said mandrel.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a generally horizontal platform, a mandrel extending upwardly from said platform, a clamping member extending radially from said mandrel mounted on the upper surface of said platform and including a stock engaging inner end portion, means selectively varying the spacing between said portion and said mandrel in a continuous manner for releasably clamping stock therebetween, a bending arm extending radially from said mandrel and mounted for rotation about the axis of said mandrel and having a stock engaging inner end portion, means selectively moving said latter portion in a continuous manner from and towards said mandrel, an element carried by said clamping member and an element carried by said arm defining opposing surfaces disposed substantially along radii extending through the center of said mandrel to engage opposite sides of a piece of stock being bent after the stock has been substantially completely bent around said mandrel.

3. Metal stock bending apparatus comprising a central support, a platform carried by said support, a mandrel extending upwardly from said platform in general axial alignment with said support, a clamping member positioned generally radially on and supported in selected positions of fixed relation on said platform, said member including a stock engaging element selectively movable from and towards said mandrel to clamp stock adjacent one end thereof against said mandrel, said element including an extended tip against which said end of stock is abutted prior to being clamped, a radially extending arm rotatably carried on said support subjacent said platform and having a stock engaging element carried thereby overlying said platform and selectively movable from and towards said mandrel so as to urge intermediate portions of the stock against and around said mandrel as said arm is rotated about said support, a first linear flange secured to said clamping member and adapted to intersect and engage one side of the stock as it is wrapped around said mandrel, said flange being disposed substantially along a radius through the center of said mandrel, and a second linear flange secured to said arm engaging the opposite side of the stock after it is bent around said mandrel, asid two flanges serving to form a straight shank appended to an arcuate eye portion of the stock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,016,771 Plante Feb. 6, 1912 1,810,340 Bryan June 16, 1931 2,306,221 Parker et a1 ec. 22, 1942 2,334,661 \Veimer NOV. 16, 1943 2,782,832 Shaw Feb. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 146,576 Great Britain July 5, 1920 

